by J. M. Briggs
“Ah… my apologies, apparently I don’t pay as much attention to modern geography as I thought.” Morgana actually sounded a little embarrassed to Alex. “But keep in mind that the Chalice may not be anywhere near the village.”
“Yeah, but my vision was really clear, I couldn’t hear anything, but I could see this village with roundhouses and some people,” Bran said.
“Interesting…” Morgana trailed off for a moment. “Well, as for why I asked where you are, it’s because my attempt to scry for Bran’s head as you requested Alex hasn’t gone very well.”
“Can you not get anything?” Alex slumped back in her seat, trying not to sigh in disappointment.
“Not exactly… the problem is that it keeps moving. When I scryed yesterday it registered Cardiff, but two hours ago it was in the middle of the lower Welsh peninsula. I’m afraid that I’m scrying for your Bran instead of the ancient one.”
Alex and the others all glanced over at Bran with small, curious looks. Jenny frowned and tilted her head, and Lance’s eyes widened slightly. Nicki stared at Bran before her mouth began to form an oh shape, and her eyes glinted almost dangerously.
“Uh… I feel like I’m missing something.”
“Well, part of Celtic tradition was that the soul was connected to a person’s head,” Morgana explained tentatively “So the fact that I’m picking up our modern Bran rather than the ancient one does seem to indicate-”
“Welcome to the reincarnation club,” Lance cut in. He raised an eyebrow and reached past Jenny to offer Bran his hand. Bran took the offered hand with a stunned look, and Lance shook it while Jenny patted Bran’s arm with a strained smile.
“You think I’m a reincarnation?”
“Really?” Alex asked. She turned in her seat so she was looking right at Bran. “Is that what you’re suggesting Morgana?”
“I didn’t really consider it seriously until I had problems scrying,” Morgana said. “Over three thousand years you come across a lot of coincidences so I tend to dismiss them.”
“Did he have visions too?” Bran asked in a tight voice.
“On occasion, but they never seemed to make sense,” Morgana remarked carefully. “I’m trying to remember, but … well, it was two thousand years ago.”
“You said it wasn’t anything important,” Bran pressed, “but why would a vision not be important?”
“He was seeing strange buildings and people I think,” Morgana muttered, sounding rather frazzled and frustrated. “Like I said nothing that was relevant at the time. We were fighting Badb and it was about the time she released her plague.”
“Plague?” Nicki cut in, “Wait what? Badb, the Celtic goddess of death?”
“One of them, but yes that’s how she’s remembered, and believe me she earned that reputation,” Morgana growled. “She created a magical fog that tormented and killed those caught in it. Then she would animate their corpses for a short time.”
“She made zombies?!” Bran shouted a little too loudly causing the other passengers to look at them. “Uh sorry,” he called to them with a small wave.
“I suppose yes, but they were usually fresh bodies so decay wasn’t really an issue. Anyway, she did that as a distraction and stole Cathanáil from Merlin and me.”
“What did she want it for?”
“That’s… impossible to say,” Morgana said. “Badb said something about ripping open portals when Merlin and I were recovering Cathanáil from her so Arthur isn’t the first being to think it is a key. As to if it worked, I can’t say that for certain, we left Gofiben and Bran to chase after Badb. All I know is some of the rumors about what her magic did with the sword.”
“How long had you been training them?” Bran asked nervously. “I mean, didn’t they die in that fight?”
There was a long pause on the other end before Morgana answered, “Not long: barely two months if I recall. They were talented, but to be honest, they weren’t ready. Gofiben… well, he was an artisan by nature, not a warrior. But Merlin and I wanted to retrieve the sword and stop Badb before she tried anything else.”
“So you don’t really know what happened?” Bran confirmed. “And you think I might be the reincarnation of the original Bran?”
“You might be,” Morgana corrected. “I’m not saying that you are, it’s just that things seem to be pointing that way. Even if you are not, whatever connection your visions are giving you to the chalice and the original Bran’s head are interfering with my scrying.”
“But couldn’t that have been the point?” Jenny said only to get odd looks. She blushed and pushed some hair behind her ear. “I mean that, well, you can’t scry for the Chalice right?”
“Correct,” Morgana replied, sounding a bit curious as to where Jenny was going with her observation.
“Well was it normal for a dying man to request that his head be buried with a magical object?” Jenny asked. “I mean if that was common-”
“No, it wasn’t normal,” Morgana agreed before she hummed in thought. “You think Bran had Galath bury his head with the Chalice as a way to find it?”
“And I’m feeling even more creeped out,” Bran whispered, looking a bit pale and ill.
“It is an interesting theory, but how would he have known to do that?” Morgana questioned out loud. “Maybe Merlin remembers more about Bran. I admit that I paid far more attention to Gofiben than Bran.”
“Wow, you paid more attention to the reincarnation of the Iron Soul than the other mages,” Nicki chimed in with a smirk as she gave Alex a pointed look. “What a shock.”
“In other news,” Morgana continued as if Nicki hadn’t said anything. “Everything is magically quiet here and Aiden is still stable, though his parents are meeting with more doctors. Merlin has some concerns over how long they are going to keep him on life support.” Whatever jovialness had been in the back of the bus faded, and Alex bit her bottom lip to keep herself from making any noise. “I’m sorry to tell you that,” Morgana added in a softer voice. “But you need to know.”
“Yeah,” Alex agreed a moment later. “Well, you have Jenny’s number now so keep us informed. We’ll be in Fishguard in less than an hour and go from there.”
“Understood, be careful,” Morgana replied gently. “All of you.”
The call ended and Alex handed the phone back to Jenny who slipped it back into her pocket and looked out the window. Nicki slumped back in her seat and closed her eyes. Her breath danced in the air as a wispy cloud, and Alex wasn’t sure if it was really that cold inside the bus or Nicki using her ice magic. Looking over at Bran, Alex found him looking down at his hands with a strangely blank look. She reached forward and put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. For the rest of their trip, all of them were lost in their own thoughts until their bus pulled to a stop in Fishguard.
They were in a round, open area surrounded by buildings with streets heading off in different directions. The bus followed the curve of the empty street and parked with a soft thump and hiss. Everyone seemed to move as one as the doors opened, releasing a burst of cold air into the bus along with a thick, salty smell. Grabbing her backpack, Alex led the others off the bus and gave a quick thanks to the driver. The other passengers all took off in various directions, seeming to know exactly where they were going. Alex moved away from the bus to let the others follow her as she looked around the area.
The buildings were small and much older looking with some made of stone, some having a bit of the Tudor style, some standing alone and others forming a long string of buildings. Modern signs and streets contrasted with buildings of mixed styles. There was a squat stone building that looked like it was probably a restaurant or bar. Alex nodded towards it to the others and they got out of the road. Alex glanced towards Bran, half hoping and half dreading him having another vision so quickly, but he didn’t seem to be reacting to anything. She realized that the others were looking at him too and waited before he gave a helpless shrug.
“W
ell, what do you think?” Nicki asked. She looked around doubtfully. “I’m not sure if a town this size would have a hostel or not.”
“I don’t know,’ Bran admitted. “I wasn’t expecting us to come this way, at least not today.”
“Guys,” Jenny called with a small chuckle. “Tourist information right there.” She gestured towards a green two-story building with a weather vane on the top of the roof and a flag hanging out over the door up the street from them. There was a small sign listing the various things in what was apparently the town hall, including tourist information and the library.
“Yeah, that works.” Nicki stepped around Alex and headed up to the door. “Come on!”
They followed her inside only to find that the older exterior did not match up with the sleek look of the information desk. Alex hung back and looked at a series of brochures on display, grabbing the couple that referred to the national park and any of the Iron Age sites. Jenny did the talking, turning her charm up to a high level with a fun story of a Christmas break trip to see Wales. Within a few minutes she had a local map with the local hostel circled on it, and thankfully it was just around the corner. The information attendant even called over to see if someone was available to check them in, informing Jenny gently that they usually only did check in at night. Alex tuned out the conversation and instead stared at the picture of a recreated Iron Age village in her hand with an odd churning feeling in her stomach. She glanced over at Bran to see him looking at a photo of the same attraction with a nervous expression.
“Alex,” Lance called. “Come on.” He gestured towards the front door and Alex hurried after the others.
“So, get a room for the night?” Jenny asked as they stepped outside. She pulled her rolling suitcase along behind her. “Or do you want to wait?”
“I haven’t seen anything,” Bran said. He nodded towards the brochures in Alex’s hand. “We should check into our options to visit some of the Iron Age sites and do some research on the area. So far we’ve just been running from point to point and depending on luck.”
“Okay then,” Alex agreed with a nod. “Let’s make sure we have a place to stay, and then we can start seeing what more we can find out.”
Outside the weather was turning dark and damp with small, scattered raindrops falling down on them. Alex tightened her coat around her shoulders and hoped it would hold up against the Welsh rain. They followed Hamilton Street down and around as it looped back towards the main street. The hostel was a stone building that Alex didn’t linger in looking at as the chill of the rain drove them all inside. Thankfully the entry was warm and comfortably large. As Jenny moved forward to the main desk Alex glanced into the living room with a longing look at a rather comfy looking sofa.
As it turned out, the hostel didn’t have rooms large enough for five people; only reinforcing Alex’s opinion that five was an awkward number. Thanks to it being a rather slow season they were able to get rooms arranged despite the early hour of the day. They waited as another group was checked out and gave them an odd look on their way. Alex’s stomach grumbled in disgust at having been denied breakfast. The lodge only had three rooms, so alone they almost filled the thing, and the receptionist left to copy their passports humming.
“So what have we got?” Bran asked, leaning forward to see over Jenny’s shoulder.
“We’re in rooms 1 and 3 so a total of seven beds,” Jenny said. “We can do a boy’s room and a girl’s room.”
“Okay, stow our stuff and then get some food,” Alex announced as the receptionist returned, handed over their keys and pulled a stack of linen out of a cupboard.
They waited out in the hall as the staff cleaned out the vacated room for the girls and showed the smaller three-bed room to the boys. Alex glanced inside to see a small space with one bunk bed and one single. Lance tossed his backpack up onto the top bunk without even a glance towards the single. Bran set his own stuff down and pulled out the Wales guide book to begin flipping through it.
“Alright,” the lady called to them with a smile. “Sorry things are a bit rushed.”
“No, thank you for taking us so early,” Alex replied gratefully. “We’ve been more than a little disorganized.”
“You’re lucky that we didn’t have any groups rent the hostel for the week,” the receptionist informed them seriously. “But I’m afraid you’ll have to be out before the 20th.”
“I’m sure we will be,” Jenny said. She stepped into their room and nodded in satisfaction. “Thanks again for making arrangements for us.”
“Well…” the woman seemed a little put off by them but recovered quickly. “I’ll be around the hostel if you need anything. You’ve got your key and a map of town, but do you need anything else?”
“I think we’re good,” Alex said. “Thanks.”
As their hostess left, Alex stepped into their room and sighed. It was only morning, not even 10 AM yet and she was already exhausted. Their room was pleasant with a window overlooking the street at the foot of one of the single beds and a bunk bed was up against the wall. The roofline was slanted and Alex set her bag up against the wall with a soft sigh. For a moment she was at a loss for what to do, but then her fingers tightened around the brochures about the Iron Age sites. Nicki walked past her and tossed her backpack on the bottom bunk while Jenny claimed the middle bed without a word.
“Okay: we have the whole day ahead of us.” Alex shrugged out of her coat and hung it up on a small set of hooks near the door. “Let’s get the boys and get some breakfast then see what we can find.”
A knock on the door made Alex smile as she turned to open it, expecting to find the boys on the other side. Instead, there was a pair of unfamiliar figures a little shorter than Alex with bright purple eyes looking right up at her. They were dressed in baggy hoodies pulled over their heads that mostly hid their silvery white hair, but the dark color made their translucent skin stand out all the more. For a strange moment Alex wasn’t sure what she was looking at; they looked like Sídhe, but-
One sprang forward, its pale palm extended towards her with sharp talon like nails reaching for her chest. Its eyes flashed a strange shade of dark gray as it clawed at her. Alex jumped back on impulse, almost tripping over her own luggage as her legs collided with it. Half falling and half rolling to the side, Alex tugged at the spark under her lungs as her hands hit the floor. Her dark gray magic sparked around her hands as Alex began to roll back on her knees. At the door, the two creatures were hissing long and slow like some kind of snakes.
“Stay down!” Nicki shouted and Alex glanced over her shoulder to see shards of ice flying over her head.
The first of the Sídhe-like creatures jumped out of the way, grabbing at the frame of the bunk bed to avoid the ice shards. They collided with the wall but dispersed as water with a soft splashing sound. The second Síd stalked into the room. This one looked a bit more masculine and his purple eyes flashed strangely as he looked towards Alex.
Rolling back and turning, Alex brought up her left hand and pushed the gathered magic at the creature. It tried to move out of the way, but Alex twisted her hand angrily and the magic rolled in the air. The close quarters of the room limited where the creature could go even as it tried to back out through the doorway and out of the path of her twisting bolt of magic. As it turned to run, Lance and Bran stepped into the doorway and nearly collided with it. The bolt of magic hit it in the back and the creature hissed in pain.
It tried to claw at Lance, but the large man grabbed its arms and pinned it against the wall. Alex blinked in surprise but stepped forward while charging more magic. Another snarl to her right made her turn and barely miss another set of talons slashing at her as the other creature attacked. Yellow magic surged in the corner of her eye and the creature was knocked hard back against the bunk bed.
“I’ve got it,” Nicki snapped as blue magic formed in her hand. The creature struggled against a band of yellow against its neck holding it tightly against the bunk
bed. It thrashed making the bunk bed rock and knock into the small side table next to it. Jenny fell back on the twin bed as she moved away from the creature, fleeing behind Nicki who smiled. “I’ve got some aggression to get out.”
Alex looked back at the one Lance was keeping pinned. It was lashing back against him and even brought a knee up into the wall, cracking a hole in plaster. She stepped forward urgently, glancing towards the hallway with worry. Behind her was the sound of panting just before a wet slicing sound reached her ears. Alex ignored it and summoned her own magic, concentrating it into a solid, pulsing form in her hand. It shifted into the shape of a dagger, part of the magic staying tight between her fingers. It wasn’t solid but didn’t slip away from Alex as she moved up beside Lance and the creature.
The creature threw its head back, striking Lance’s chest and he almost lost his grip. There was a brief moment of sympathy as Alex wondered if this was another creature under the queen’s power, but as its violet eyes narrowed on her and it tried to twist away from Lance. Alex brought the cracking magical construct forward and sliced it into the creature’s chest before it could escape and attack again. It went limp in Lance’s arms and he released it, stepping back as it fell to the floor. Alex flinched as its head collided with the bunk bed frame and almost sighed in relief as Bran firmly shut the door of the room. In her hand the magic pulsed and Alex allowed it to form an orb. Exhaling let the magic slowly dissipate.